Premature to Set Date for Scottish Independence Vote Amid Brexit - Sturgeon

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Monday that it was not the right time to determine the date for the second independence referendum in Scotland due to the existing uncertainty around Brexit.

"The sense of the uncertainty of Brexit is such that setting a date now for a referendum is not the right time for doing that so I will not consider the timing again until there is more clarity on Brexit," Sturgeon told BBC News.

The Scottish first minister pointed out, however, that it did not mean she would "stop making the case for independence," adding that it "gets stronger by the day."

In March, the Scottish parliament backed Sturgeon's proposal to ask for the second referendum on independence. UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that the timing for the referendum was not right and the United Kingdom had to focus on Brexit negotiations, which are expected to conclude in spring 2019.

The first referendum on independence was held in Scotland in 2014 and resulted in 55 percent of voters choosing to remain in the United Kingdom.